Masterful Marquez takes first Thai win; Pedrosa crashes out after a strong performance

It was another master-class race for Championship leader Marc Marquez, who took the first MotoGP win ever in Thailand in front of a cheering, enthusiast crowd of more than 100.000 spectators. Marc’s seventh victory of the season is also the 68th of his career, putting him equal with Jorge Lorenzo as the fifth-most winning rider across all classes. It was a hat-trick weekend for the Spaniard, who earned pole position, set the lap record and earned the victory.

Marc’s win came down to the last corner of the last lap, thanks to a thrilling battle with title contender Andrea Dovizioso. The points scenario makes the next round, the Grand Prix of Japan, the first match point for the MotoGP Title.

On the other side of the garage, a crash at turn five on lap 18 was a true shame for Dani Pedrosa, as it ended what until then had been his best race of the season; Pedrosa was charging forward from the back, with hopes of launching himself into the podium battle.

Marc Marquez

winner

“Of course I’m very, very happy today because it’s the first time I’ve beaten Dovi in this way. We were very equal, and my strategy was to try and attack in order to open a gap and avoid having it come down to the last lap. But Dovi had a very good pace and I was struggling with the front tyre, so I wasn’t able. Instead, I just tried to manage the tyres and stick to him. Honestly, I wasn’t so confident going into the final lap because I’ve lost many head-to-head finishes with him in the past. But this time, we swapped roles—I used Dovi’s style and Dovi used Marquez’s style!—and that worked to overtake him on the corner exit. It was a great feeling to race in front of all the Thai fans, who cheered and supported all of us riders equally, really enjoying the sport and making me feel good over the whole weekend. I’m really thankful to them. Now the first match ball will be in Japan, which is the most important race for Honda as it’s their only home Grand Prix. Of course we’ll try our best there, but if it’s not possible, the main target is still to achieve the title at some point.”

Dani Pedrosa

DNF

“Today’s result was a very disappointing one as we had a real chance to fight for the podium. I lost the front when I was pushing hard and getting closer to the front. I hit a bump and couldn’t save it. The crucial moment was the start, as first I had an issue with the clutch and soon after that, Miller took the inside into the corner too fast and pushed us both wide so that we lost ground. As we had all been forced to use the hard rear, I struggled to warm the tyres up over the first three laps, and I didn't have good grip. It took a while to get into a fast rhythm. The positive thing is that we had a strong race after that, catching the front group. We had a good chance but we didn’t make it. Hopefully the next race will be better.”

MotoGP 2018Sunday, October 7th 2018

Race
Round 15
Thailand Grand PrixThailand

Race Classification

Sunny

Humidity

46%

Track Temp

49°C

Air Temp

32°C

Pos.

Rider

Num

Nation

Points

Team

Constructor

Time/Gap

1

Marquez Marc

93

SPA

25

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

39'55.722

2

Dovizioso Andrea

4

ITA

20

Ducati Team

Ducati

0.115

3

Vinales Maverick

25

SPA

16

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

0.270

4

Rossi Valentino

46

ITA

13

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

1.564

5

Zarco Johann

5

FRA

11

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

2.747

6

Rins Alex

42

SPA

10

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

3.023

7

Crutchlow Cal

35

GBR

9

LCR Honda

Honda

6.520

8

Bautista Alvaro

19

SPA

8

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

6.691

9

Petrucci Danilo

9

ITA

7

Pramac Racing

Ducati

9.944

10

Miller Jack

43

AUS

6

Pramac Racing

Ducati

11.077

11

Iannone Andrea

29

ITA

5

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

15.488

12

Syahrin Hafizh

55

MAL

4

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

17.691

13

Espargaro Aleix

41

SPA

3

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

21.413

14

Morbidelli Franco

21

ITA

2

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

Honda

22.802

15

Smith Bradley

38

GBR

1

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

23.628

16

Redding Scott

45

GBR

0

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

23.804

17

Abraham Karel

17

CZE

0

Angel Nieto Team

Ducati

32.507

18

Simeon Xavier

10

BEL

0

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

37.216

19

Torres Jordi

81

SPA

0

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

39.204

20

Luthi Tom

12

SWI

0

EG 0,0 Marc VDS

Honda

39.421

21

Espargaro Pol

44

SPA

0

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

53.388

22

Nakagami Takaaki

30

JPN

0

LCR Honda

Honda

2 laps

23

Pedrosa Dani

26

SPA

0

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

8 laps

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Location Information

Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.

Location Information

Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.